Proposal Made For Temporary Hammersmith Bridge Replacement

Marine engineering firm claims structure could be built in three months

Aerial View From The South. Picture: Beckett Rankine

Ever since Hammersmith Bridge was closed to vehicles in April this year, some residents have been complaining about the displaced traffic problems they have been facing.

Now there may be a new solution as a design to build a temporary bridge parallel to Hammersmith Bridge has been unveiled.

Marine engineering firm Beckett Rankine claims that a temporary structure running from Queen Caroline Street in Hammersmith to Castelnau in Barnes would cost just £5 million and could be constructed in three months after receiving planning permission.

Director, Tim Beckett, said: “Sadiq Khan could walk over it before the mayoral election,” but added there needs to be enough “political will.”

The plans were originally published as part of a call for ideas from Planning in London magazine.

Beckett Rankine’s solution is centred on the idea that Hammersmith Bridge will be quicker to fix if a temporary bridge can be used to divert pedestrians and cyclists.

“Hammersmith bridge has a timber deck, and while the deck needs replacing it’s very difficult to do while keeping it open to the public,” said Mr Beckett.

He said TfL emailed him about the designs after they appeared in New Civil Engineer on Wednesday (October 16), and now Richmond resident Lucy Cardwell has started a petition in support of the scheme.

It has received nearly 500 signatures in just one day and calls on the likes of Transport for London, local MP Zac Goldsmith and the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames to consider building the bridge.

View From The Southeast. Picture: Beckett Rankine

It says: “The displacement of vehicular traffic on the surrounding areas (East Sheen, Mortlake, Putney, Fulham, Hammersmith, Richmond Park and Chiswick) and primarily through residential areas, which were never designed to carry the high volume of displaced traffic they are now facing, has been disastrous.”

Sian Bayley - Local Democracy Reporter

October 20, 2019